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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ppcs”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “ppcs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

TrafficGuard PPC Fraud Prevention shows at wp.org #4 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) places #3 on merit, 4.5★ from 3157 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) wp.org #1 2 Event Espresso – Event Registration & Ticketing Sales 500+ · 4.4★ (136) wp.org #2 3 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #20 17 too low 4 Coupon & Discount Code Reveal Button 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Posts per Cat 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 CubeWP Framework 3K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 ChannelSale – Sell & Grow Across Marketplaces, Sales Channels & AI Commerce 20+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 PitchPrint 300+ · 3.7★ (30) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 Veracity Bot Detection Tag for WordPress 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 The Insertr 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 TrafficGuard PPC Fraud Prevention 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 AnyTrack Affiliate Link Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 Sitelinx Accessibility Lite 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 BaseCloud UTM Tracker 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 DataFeedWatch Connector for WooCommerce 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 Xtreme Forms – WP Contact Form Builder, Lead Capture, Form to Email & Webhooks 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 CubeWP Forms 3K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 EdgeTariff – Duty and Tax for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 BudgetGuard 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Zyflora landing page templates 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Clicksora Click Fraud Protection — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 ClickPatrol Click Fraud Protection — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 INVOX Call Tracking 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Optimyzee AI Google Ads for WooCommerce – PMax & Search Campaign Builder — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.